Technical Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates in general to leg support devices. More specifically, the invention relates to a leg support device adaptable to lock and maintain a user's leg in an elevated position, yet be carried discretely on the leg while the user moves.
Description of the Related Art
A wide variety of leg support devices have been developed for individuals suffering from leg injuries and recovering from leg surgeries. Crutches, canes and walkers are commonly used devices that provide body support and stability while a user is walking or standing on an injured leg or foot. For many leg injuries it is important from a medical standpoint when not walking to keep the leg or legs elevated. Elevation of the legs improves blood circulation, promotes healing and frequently lessens discomfort and pain by reducing the swelling associated with the injured muscles.
A common practice to elevate an injured or recovering leg while sitting in a chair or on a sofa is to prop the limb on available furniture or other stationary objects such as stools, coffee tables, desks, and other chairs. However, this solution suffers from two drawbacks. The first issue is that the stationary objects may not to be the correct height and so the user may have to to adjust their height relative to the objects. This causes the user to sit in an awkward position and may result in muscle strain.
Another issue regarding the use of a stationary object is lack of portability. It is frequently the case that for a given chair or sofa where the user may find himself or herself sitting, no stationary object such as a stool or coffee table is located conveniently nearby. In a home this may necessitate moving heavy objects around the house, which could exacerbate the injury to be healed and potentially cause additional injuries. This is even more problematic outside the home where, for example, many waiting rooms contain only banks of immovable chairs, presenting no objects on which to elevate the injured or recovering leg. Furthermore, it would not be practical for an individual using crutch to carry any sort of collapsible leg support.
Many attempts have been made to develop portable leg supporting devices. An early attempt is U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,826 issued to Gruzalski on Oct. 10, 1972, which provides a device for supporting an individual's leg in a substantially horizontal position when the individual is seated. The device includes a generally U-shaped ankle engaging member adapted to be secured around the user's ankle or lower calf, and a stanchion rotatably connected to the ankle-engaging member. The stanchion includes a pair of parallel support bars, each of which mounts the ankle-engaging member at one end thereof. The device is particularly designed to support a leg in a cast, and is adapted to be worn on the cast around the user's leg when the device is not in use. However, this device does not allow the user to sit in various positions that are comfortable for the user since the support bars are not easily height adjustable nor independently adjustable. Further, the device is not configurable such that the user may lock it into position with the weight of the elevated leg.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,781 issued to Sheppard on Mar. 30, 2004 presents a self-contained limb and cast support device to elevate a broken or sprained limb. This device is portable and can be converted to a position where it is less in the way while the user moves about. However, the hinges of the Sheppard device are placed on the sides of user's legs and in a position where they are likely to be caught on objects as the user walks and moves around. Thus, the device impedes walking or other basic motions of the user. Additionally, like the other prior art the device is not configurable such that the user may lock it into position with the weight of the elevated leg, nor are the legs of the device adjustable independently.
Hence, it can be seen that there is a need for a leg support device that is adaptable to easily attach to a user's leg or footwear thereby enabling the user to have easy access to the leg support at any time, in any location. Further, such a device would not get caught on other objects when the user performs basic body movements such as walking. Such a leg support device would not impede walking or other basic motions of the user. Such a leg support device should be readily adjustable individually to any desired height for providing sufficient elevation to the legs. Further, such a leg support device should be designed to extend in different lengths so that the user can tilt his foot either to the left or right according to the user's desire. Still further, such a leg support device should be easily and quickly attachable to modern orthotic footwear, commonly made of hard plastic, rather than cloth or softer materials. Such a leg support device would work in multiple configurations and should be lockable in each configuration. Finally, the device must be comfortable to wear, discrete, portable and fabricated from lightweight materials.